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I was wondering what the most useful and successful degree to obtain would be in addition to the DPM? Which one would open more doors and make the DPM more successful? MBA? MPH? MS, MA? PhD? Any more suggestions?

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I have yet to come across a DPM who added a C Ped designation who failed to gain greater patient results and generate patient growth.

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Jeremy Long C Ped
Smoky Mountain Foot Clinic

M.D. In fact you might want to skip the other one altogether-its been over thirty years since I got one and still have to explain what those three magic letters mean- I don't even know anymore with so many subspecialties and boards and divergent scopes of practice.

Besides there are no open doors or magic bullet. Once you spin the magic bunion wheel your on your own.

What doors would you like to open?

If you are talking clinical doors, depending on what you want to do , the DPM should serve you well. Of course that assumes you are well trained for what you'd like to do. I have been performing Foot and Ankle surgery for a long time and can assure you that if you have training and experience most doors are wide open.

If you would like to teach, then of course this is another discussion.

I know orthopedic surgeons with wonderful practices as well as some with not so great practices. True as well for Dermatologists, general surgeons, cardiologists, internists, etc..... If you have a DPM then this should be enough for you. If you are looking around and seeing less than your anticipated success, then perhaps you need to look closer still.

If you are successful and wish to EXPAND, more power to you.

Study what you are interested in, success will be waiting for you.

Good luck

Steve

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DrSArbes
Fellow American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons
Board Certified Foot & Ankle Surgery, ABPS
Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

One of my children considered podiatry school after college. I am grateful we do not have a future podiatrist in our future.

dropatoeor2:

You seem a "little" down on the profession.

If you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd be interested to know why - on a personal level. What has happened (or has not happened) in your professional life that has allowed the creation of this attitude you apparently have for podiatry?

Steve

My comments have created more of a stir concerning my personal life than my professional obserevations and comments made. And have resulted in thoughtful barbs regarding my personality, character and a host other rantings about my motivation for expressing points of view gleened detrimental to ones life choice of podiatry as a profession.

OK fair enough. For US podiatrists this is what happened and why:

Academically: Good fortune afforded me the privelage to attend some excellent schools prior to attending and graduating what could best be defined as a top tiered college enjoying the abundance of the best of the arts and sciences and massive partying and fraternazing madly leaving with a less than miraculous grade point average-a rather shoddy MCAT score and promising acceptance to various programs in literature, art and law were less interesting than the curiousities of biochemistry in which my studies yielded a master's degree and acceptance to a Ph D program which, if not for cupidity's outrageous thrust required a rather dimwitted search for a profession of some respectability. My ex wife had a relative who extolled the virtues of Podiatry and my visits to his office struck an interesting albeit absurdist chord not-unlike that of an old Warren Zevon song. Wait listed I was at an excellent medical school patience was in short supply so I wen to Podiatry school. I must confess - hands down that the _____College of Podiatric medicine is where I met the most outrageous crew of miscreants,thugs, criminals and former stereo salesfolk outside of the finest penitentiaries in America-most of whom I remain friends with today-most of whom are no longer in the podiatry field and have attrited consequent to some legal skrimmish, disability (often bogus) an outside income stream of a magnitude that volumes are still studied or of course, death. Podiatry school was a laugh a minute ride not dissimilar from the popular Animal House feature of the time. It took little time to realize that little or no study was needed and the lectures could easily be slept through and days at the race track or at brokerage houses and strip joints was a better use of time. Those formative first two years of podiatric school was a time where an appreciation of fine single malt liquor, prostitutes and pool became archivable memories only to blossom into a premature divorce. The second two years focused on the art of nail clipping-the so called clinical years where grinding down rohadur in the orthotics laboratory with soft cork and leather was a mandate as were the relentless theologic classes mandated by the biomechanic experts. And the fourth and final year-we-all podiatry students- were like some unruly children sent off on our own to do preceptorship clerkship whatever you do with your time programs which cost the costly college of podiatry nothing but made for a billable four year education. Yes my little friends that fine education readied me for a seat at one of the nations highly competitive residency programs at some thrid rate hospital shabbily run and billably hazardous to most insurers and always in need of some young buckaroo to clean bedpans so someday they could scrub in on a bunionectom and learn the ins and outs of the field which would flourish in the hands of a: Residency trained podiatrist who by all rights and presentations should sit on some panel of equally trained and educated specialists and determine ones status as board certified in a field whose hoax could not at all be described to the larger world for fear that this inner secret society of podiatry which would or could loosen the strings of its own creation and send Podiatry back to the days of routine foot care forever.

So after garnering a small fortune while filling that empty seat at a medical college and earning that other degree (there were several of us who went on to MD school) I looked back and wondered if the secret so long witheld should remain just that-the secret world of podiatry. And it did. I realized that podiatry was not at all within the same level of conscience to represent oneself as a physician: Where else do they teach without joking: "The Perfectly Normal Human Foot can be surgically corrected." Generations of podiatrists many who I referred to earlier and many who have secularized recall with such clarity the utter farce their podiatric pseudoeducation was refuse to acknowledge ever having been foolish enough to complete.

Am I bitter? No not at all I have no right to be bitter for getting a doctorate which was more of a side effect or hangover and the student loans to show for it. Was medical school different, yes it was a responsibility that only minor screw ups could be forgiven but the responsibility for patient care could not afford that rambunctious frolic of foot school fun. It was what we who would sneak into the med school library as pod student to study quickly discovered who we were-I'll never forget one of day reviewing the hundreds of journals on display and asking why there were no podiatry journals and getting the reply: "What are you nuts? This is an R D school." The last time I looked a year ago or so most major medical centers do not subscribe to an archive of Podiatry or the robust journal of the association.

Am I an all that is wrong with podiatry sort of person? Please, flowery prose aside, tell me you grew up wanting to be a podiatrist and struggle with some ambivelant career choice schoonering about for your next check and reach some ripe old age and wonder why you as a doctor of sorts have little or nothing to show for it? Granted there are many podiatrists who have done remarkably well and will pounce on the bandwagon to tell every ear open- that's fine.
There are also a lot of folks we used to and still refer to as lifers. Many of you who call anti podiatry people podiatry haters or negativity mongers you know who you are and call people like me all sorts of crappy names but you know what: I do this-post these notes that is to get the young pods out of their shells and see that the foot is connected to the body and that you can not just manufacture illnesses to meet your scope of practice. That is morally and ethically wrong. I can make jokes because that is what I do as a profession-I'll get back to my personal history later.

For now think of the inbreeding of podiatry as something not unlike that of many fields of endeavor that perpetuate a myth that theirs (world view)is was and will be valid (using the matematical definition of validity) as a profession of stand-alone specialists whose remedies will impact the greater good of human health care. That is the sad sad state of podiatry which podiatry leaders pockets lined with lies and loot continue to post parlay and pretend to propel everu dau. Gee podiatry has a new certifying board. Oh yeah where will you get the patients to experiment on to show the cases you need to get that certificate? And who really reads it all those letters about more ability to less and less. Yes indeed the field has created minds like this so that minds like those of my children don't piss away a chance-if they desire to be contributors to society and garner the income, respect and richness of knowledge and understanding available.

This is what happened to me: I went to podiatry school in the US. I was at that time quite young and niave and we all thought podiatry school was just peachy.

So I got the privelage to attend medical school and make money as a podiatrist and quit and after a surgical residency realized just how much of a differnece no matter how many certifying boards podiatry creates will never accomplish being a foot surgeon until they have a grasp of medicine in its entirety.

That is why I post these notes and try to reach young folks on their way to a certain abyss ending in three letters D P M oh yeah the inbreeding might make you a better banjo player someday-think of it as perk after viewing Delvierance.

In case you don't get it: I've checked out podiatry and the lame excuses and the same education and the project this and the project that and the same old crap-

This is what I am trying to accomplish: Podiatrists in the USA who want to be doctors...

GET off your keister and get an education and join the rest of the world of medicine!
Because if you ever forget that you are a podiatrist there will always be someone there to remind you that podiatry school is NOT medical school.

THE FOOT BONE IS CONNECTED TO THE WHOLE BODY

Thank you for taking the time to tell us your story.

If ever there were two people who traveled the same road and had different journeys it would be you and me.

My experience in Podiatric Medical school and the specialty of Foot & Ankle Surgery would have to be described as the polar opposite of yours.

Life is what you make of it, apparently that goes for Podiatry.

Steve

__________________
DrSArbes
Fellow American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons
Board Certified Foot & Ankle Surgery, ABPS
Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

BTW: I never heard the expression "The Perfectly Normal Human Foot can be surgically corrected "
nor do I believe it was "taught" to you, nor is it "practiced" anywhere that I have observed.
Steve

DrSarbes,

Your welcome. Re: The Perfectly Normal Foot. It was not taught as part of an academic protocol but, with a nod and a wink was an ongoing expression used by the clinical leisure suit and gold chain adorned teaching staff. It was a different time and a different mind-set but it those words were spoken and in some circles-I guess-of anonymity still are.

Writing that post brought back some great memories of youth and had to call some of the old crew - look forward to having a few over the holdays.

I appreciate the time you took to read my lengthy post and wish you well.

Really I don't have anything against podiatry and or podiatrists just wouldn't encourage my daughter to marry one.




Just kidding.

Happy Holiday.

Steve

__________________
DrSArbes
Fellow American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons
Board Certified Foot & Ankle Surgery, ABPS
Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

md or do is better than dpm